Tampa Bay Rays squash speculation they might relocate to Nashville

The Tampa Bay Rays reportedly have a deal in place to build a new stadium, slamming the door on speculation the team could relocate to Nashville.

• The news could, however, move Major League Baseball one step closer to expansion.

State of play: Whenever a MLB franchise has long-term uncertainty around its stadium, Nashville is regularly mentioned as a relocation possibility.

• It happened in 2021 with the Rays. It happened again in 2021 with the Oakland A's.
• It happened last year with the Baltimore Orioles.
• And it happened earlier this summer with the Chicago White Sox.

Why it matters: The Rays' deal for a 30,000-seat stadium in St. Petersburg seems to solve one of MLB's lingering ballpark problems. The A's are navigating a likely move to Las Vegas.

• With those two issues out of the way, MLB could be closer to pursuing expansion. MLB commissioner Rob Manfred said in July he would look at expansion "pretty shortly" after those two franchises resolved their ballpark disputes.

Zoom in: A local group called Music City Baseball wants to bring an expansion franchise to Nashville.

Yes, but: The election of Freddie O'Connell as Nashville's next mayor complicates the matter. Pro stadium deals often come with taxpayer funding, but O'Connell has expressed reservations about the city helping finance a ballpark.

• "I would be delighted to entertain a conversation with anybody who wants to fully privately fund our next public entertainment facility," O'Connell said during a forum at the Nashville Rotary Club last month.